How to Choose a Streaming Service for the Ultimate Binge-Watching Experience

TV show buffs sure love their little debates! Though it may be excruciatingly hard to pick your favorite Game of Thrones character, decide between the unadulterated geekiness of classic Doctor Who and the sublimely poetic approach of modern series, and choose whether to spend your election night with House of Cards’ Frank Underwood or Selina Meyer from Veep, there’s still one thing every binge-watcher agrees upon: television is no longer a place for enjoying television shows.

In order to get the ultimate watching experience, we now seek our beloved fantasy worlds on streaming services. And, why wouldn’t we? Instead of staying on top of the program schedule and losing our patience every time the show gets interrupted by commercials, we can now project our computer screens to TV sets and get lost in endless choices. It’s a different, utterly immersive way of watching television, the one that will eventually make addicts of us all.

There’s only one more decision to be made, though. With so many binge-worthy platforms to choose from, how can we tell which is the best one for our specific needs? Here are a couple of suggestions.

The Night Is Dark and Full of Spoilers

Nobody likes to feel left out from the latest debate, nor to wait too long to get included, which is why the ability to watch brand new episodes as soon as their air is arguably the first criterion to base your decision upon. Miss the opportunity on Sunday evening, and if you’re lucky, you’ll manage to stay spoiler-free until Monday afternoon.

If eager to consume your fresh TV content in real time, don’t make your choice before you compare online video services, all of them. You’ll find that Hulu Plus seems like the best possible source for this kind of television adventure, since most episodes arrive there in the first 24 hours after being shown on their TV networks.

Some Mysteries Are Exclusive

Even though HBO is still considered the biggest workshop in the TV show industry, and BBC has just wrapped up Sherlock’s final problem (not to mention the exquisite Peaky Blinders that won’t be back until later this year), more artists of this craft reach out to entertainment companies behind popular streaming services for help. Fortunately for us, the results of this little industry experiment have been more than thrilling!

Now, original content is not something you can find anywhere except on the mother network, which is why Netflix is the absolute winner in this category. If House of Cards, Orange is the New Black, Stranger Things and BoJack Horseman – just to name a couple of Netflix’s best – are on your must-watch list, simply get a subscription form and sign up.

No Interruptions, Please!

Imagine watching The Godfather on television! Almost three hours long, the movie would probably last about twice as much, if commercials don’t drive you completely insane long, long before the end. In fact, TV ads are one of the main reasons behind our decisions to unplug the cable and start streaming, but marketers won’t be marketers if they don’t hunt us down whenever we go. Hence the difference between ad-free and ad-friendly streaming services.

Though Netflix has a strict no-ad policy, an even more brilliant solution can be found on Amazon Prime. Instead of your regular shampoo and ice-cream commercials, you’ll get to see a short trailer before every episode, thus broadening your TV horizons more. It’s like a thick, sticky catalogue of all the liquorix ever made, only instead of traditional sweets; Amazon Prime offers the juiciest ones from the television show scene.

Going to the Movies

Once the season is done and that stinging feeling of emptiness and despair starts to kick in, you’ll be in need of something short and sweet to pick you right back up. All TV show streaming services offer an exciting collection of movies from all genres, so be sure to get to know their offers before you sign the contract.

Once again, Netflix is in the lead. Quite cinematic in its user experience, this network is the VIP ticket for latest blockbusters, timeless classics, mind-bending documentaries and little indie snippets alike. Even if your favourite title is unavailable at the moment, chances are great that it will be soon. Unlike Netflix, Hulu Plus has a great selection of world cinema, in case you’re ever in the mood for stepping out of your comfort zone.

Every story has to end eventually, just as well as every modern decision has to be made with a price tag in mind. In order to defy such tiring principles of our overly consumeristic world, we won’t be getting into details – the only thing you need to know is the fact that streaming services are still far less expensive than cable. Hoorah for us and one big thank you to them!

Choose wisely, and don’t blink.

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